Chapter 7: Retaliation with Justice.

Yuli's residence in this lifetime has not changed, still the west wing of the southwestern courtyard, facing the chambers of Yuchi and Yuyan, while facing north and sitting south is the residence of Yuzhang's eldest son, Yuxuan. Comparatively speaking, Yuli's residence is the worst, not only having bad Feng Shui, but also the poorest lighting and ventilation.

However, Yuli did not pay much attention to these. He was busy packing his luggage with Zhixue. Around noon, he faintly heard the clear voices of two young boys - Yuchi and Yuyan, the twin sons of Aunt Zhao. They must have finished school at the private tutor's place and returned home.

"Who is speaking over there?" Zhi Xue asked in confusion.

"They are my two younger brothers, named Yu Chi and Yu Yan. They are Zhao Aunt's biological children," Yu Li said. As he spoke, he heard the sound coming closer and closer until it reached his room's entrance. Then, he saw two boys wearing sapphire blue clothes, around eleven or twelve years old, standing at the doorway, their curious eyes peering inside the room.

In her previous life, Yuli had been teased and mocked by these two individuals whom she was known as the "jinx" and played pranks on. She held no affection towards them whatsoever. Therefore, she simply focused on tending to her own affairs. Zhixue, seeing that Yuli ignored them, also buried herself in her work.

"Hey! Are you the jinx, Yu Li?" one of them shouted.

Yuli still ignored him and busied herself cleaning up the room.

Seeing that Yuli ignored him, the person from earlier said, "You must be that jinx. Auntie said that you, as a jinx, bring disaster upon our family. You shouldn't have come back. Go back and become a monk!"

The other person also followed with a mocking tone, saying, "Jinx! A jinx without a mother!"

Zhixue, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel the need to defend Yuli when he noticed his indifferent demeanor. Just as she was about to speak up, Yuli grabbed her sleeve and gestured with his eyes for her to not act rashly. In response, Zhixue gave the two individuals a fierce glare and decided to ignore them.

"Brother! That slave dared to glare at me!" Little brother Yu Yan pointed at Zhi Xue, his face flushed with anger. "He has no manners. Let's give him a good lesson!"

Elder Brother Yu Chi's eyes shifted, and a malicious smile appeared on his originally delicate face as he said, "Where's your slingshot? Take it out quickly. We just found a lot of camphor tree seeds. It's a perfect opportunity to test its feel!"

"You're right!" Yu Yan said, then lowered his head and took out a slingshot from his pocket.

Yu Li was not initially angry. Having experienced two lifetimes, he naturally would not be bothered by two young boys. However, when he saw the two of them laying hands on Zhi Xue, he immediately became furious and coldly said to them, "If you dare to lay another finger on her, I will make sure you end up with the same fate as Aunt Zhao!"

The two of them were puzzled when they heard the words and looked at each other, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

"Do you still not know?" A sneer appeared at the corner of Yuli's lips. "Your Aunt Zhao has been forbidden from stepping foot in front of our grandmother because of her unvirtuous words."

"What?" The twins exchanged a knowing glance, then Yu Yan snorted coldly at Yu Li and said, "I'll let you off the hook for today! Brother, let's go!" With that, the two of them turned and left together.

Zhixue couldn't help but say when she saw them leave, "Why are these two people so annoying! They're so young, yet they're so malicious. They don't seem like young masters from wealthy families at all, they're not even as sensible as children from the countryside." She angrily added, "Fortunately, I came with you, otherwise those two, they would definitely bully you!"

When Yuli heard this, a smile appeared on her beautiful face as she said, "So you see, being born into wealth and nobility does not necessarily mean one has good character. Some people, perhaps, have even more malicious intentions than ordinary people." As she spoke, her smile gradually faded, and she solemnly said, "Zhi Xue, we currently have no support in the mansion, so we cannot confront them head-on... If they were to report us as the troublemakers, it would be of no benefit to either of us."

Zhixue thought about it and realized that she had been too impulsive earlier. However, upon further consideration, she felt that she couldn't just let this slide. She said, "So, you're just going to let them humiliate you like this? They even called you a 'jinx' and insulted your mother. At such a young age, they already know how to stab people where it hurts the most..."

Yuli's lips curled up in a smile, and there was a cold gleam in her eyes: "If I were to repay hatred with kindness, how can I repay kindness? I can't bear it, otherwise they would think I'm easy to bully..."

...

During lunchtime, Yuli arrived punctually at the Bamboo Longevity Hall where Madame Yu resided.

Madam Yu pulled him down to sit and, as they ate, she chatted with him casually: "Your father is still working at the government office and won't be back until tonight. Your elder brother, Yu Xuan, and the Crown Prince of Qingwang, who is also your brother-in-law, have gone to work together, and they haven't been seen for the past few days... Let's have a nice family reunion dinner when they return in the evening."

Yuli replied, but in her heart she thought, "I wonder who this reunion meal is meant for?"

The two of them spoke intermittently, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. Suddenly, Madam Yu, with her sharp eyesight, noticed a few small purple ink stains on Yu Li's clothes. The stains were not large, but there were three or four of them scattered around, with the largest one near the collar. She asked curiously, "Li'er, what are these stains?"

Yu Li's face showed a look of grievance, but soon turned into a smile as she casually said, "It's nothing. My grandson was just standing under a camphor tree earlier and got some camphor seeds on him, that's why."

Madam Yu naturally did not believe it. Even if the camphor tree seed fell on someone, it would not directly shatter and stain their clothes with the juice inside. Moreover, she saw the moment of grievance on Yu Li's face and furrowed her brows. Unable to restrain herself, she said to Du Ruo standing nearby, "Who is taking care of Li'er? Go and call him in!"

"Understood." Nanny Du Ruo stepped aside and quickly called Zhixue in.

"The servant pays respects to the honorable Lady." Zhixue bowed respectfully.

"How did you serve Young Master San? And how did Young Master San's clothes become so dirty?" Granny Yu asked, her face already showing signs of anger.

"Grandmother, you don't need to ask him, really..." Yu Li seemed like he wanted to hide something, but was stopped by Granny Yu, who said:

"Li'er, once grandmother finishes her inquiries, grandmother will naturally have a clear understanding."

Yuli could only lower her head.

"After speaking, how did Young Master San's clothes get stained?" Nanny Du Ruo looked down at Zhi Xue and asked.

Zhixue glanced at Yuli and her face displayed an indignant expression. She said, "It was Young Master Si and Young Master Wu. Earlier, I saw Young Master San and the others packing their things in the room. Those two ran up to Young Master San and called him a 'jinx.' They even claimed that Madam Zhao said Young Master San is a 'worthless wretch.' Young master San endured their insults, but I couldn't bear it any longer and just gave them a glare. Who would have expected that Young Master Si and Young Master Wu would come out with slingshots and camphor tree seeds..."

Speaking of this, there's no need to continue. He silently lowered his head, as if he was indignant on behalf of Yuli.

Madam Yu understood what had happened after hearing this. She had quite liked these two brothers before, but today's incident with Aunt Zhao had angered her greatly. This also made her view Yu Chi and Yu Yan unfavorably. She said, "I knew these two little troublemakers would turn out like this. Their mother was never refined enough, so I didn't let them get too close to her. Who would have thought that they would still learn to be exactly like her... Lier, don't worry. Grandmother will make them kneel in front of our ancestors for an hour later. Let's see if they dare to bully you again in the future!"

"Grandmother, it's only natural that Yuli is not well-liked when she first arrives. There's no need for you to go to such lengths for me..." Yuli displayed a worried expression, her charming little face quite endearing.

"Li'er, don't be afraid. It is precisely because you are new here that we cannot let others look down on you. Rest assured, with your grandma around, you won't suffer any grievances." Madam Yu patted Yu Li's hand, her face showing a kind expression.

"Thank you, grandmother!" Yuli quickly stood up and bowed to her, smiling sweetly. "Grandmother, you are just like the grandmother in my dreams, so kind and gentle, just like the Bodhisattva Guanyin in the temple..."

The words spoken made the devout Lady Yu burst into laughter: "With that little mouth of yours, how could I be Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

"It's just like that!" Yu Li pondered for a moment and continued, "Ever since my grandson had a dream about you, he has been longing to be closer to his grandmother. Therefore, he prays for you day and night, hoping that you can live a long life of a hundred years, so that Li'er can one day see his grandmother's face..."

His tone was sincere and his words were moving. Madam Yu naturally felt moved and said, "Is that so?"

"Okay! So Lier hand-copied many sutras for her grandmother, including the 'Ksitigarbha Sutra,' 'Diamond Sutra,' 'Lotus Sutra,' 'Medicine Master Sutra'..." Speaking of which, she turned her head towards Zhixue, who was kneeling, and said, "Zhixue, go and fetch them."

"Grandmother, accumulated over time, the Buddhist scriptures are quite numerous. Thus, I have entrusted many of them to the monks in the temple to handle properly. As for the remaining ones, I have brought them here and placed them in a high position. Every day, I devoutly burn incense, hoping that the bodhisattva can hear the voice of my heart and grant my grandmother a long life to the age of one hundred…"

Madam Yu looked at the Buddhist scriptures brought by Zhixue and saw that the scriptures were neatly copied and well-preserved. It was evident that the person who copied them had put a great deal of effort into it. In her heart, she couldn't help but feel a genuine fondness for Yuli, thinking that it was no wonder this child had such a calm and peaceful temperament. Perhaps it was because they had been living in a Buddhist temple for a long time and had a connection to them through transcribing the scriptures. Maybe it was precisely because they transcribed the scriptures for her, that they were able to eliminate their sins and become a harbinger of good fortune...

With this thought in mind, Madam Yu naturally treated Yu Li even more kindly, praising him repeatedly, saying, "Good child, grandma's well-behaved grandson..."

Yu Li played the role of a loving grandson while secretly thinking to himself: to exchange fifty volumes of scriptures for a bit of favor from the Li family, it was considered quite worthwhile. If he wanted to establish a solid position in the Yu Family Residence, he must start from the Li family—it was like embracing a great tree tightly.